THE US PRESIDENT Flashcards

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1
Q

THE US PRESIDENT

A

THE US PRESIDENT

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2
Q

What are 3 ways the President can check Congress?

A
  • Suggest legislation
  • Veto legislation
  • Commander in chief of the armed forces
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3
Q

What did Trump ask Congress for in his 2018 State of the Union address?

A

Money to ‘build a wall’ - border security

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4
Q

How many times did Trump use his veto?

A

10 times

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5
Q

How may times did Obama and Bush veto a bill?

A

12 times each

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6
Q

How many times did FDR use the veto?

A

635

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7
Q

What are the 2 types of presidential veto?

A
  • Regular veto
  • Pocket veto
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8
Q

How many pocket vetoes have been used in the 21st century?

A

0

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9
Q

What did the Biden Administration decide to do in April 2021?

A

Pull all US troops out of Afghanistan by September 2021

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10
Q

What are 2 ways the President can check the judiciary?

A
  • Nomination of Justices
  • Power of the pardon
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11
Q

How many commutations did Obama grant on his last day in office in 2017?

A

330 - mostly to non-violent drug offenders

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12
Q

How many pardons did Trump issue during his term in office?

A

143

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13
Q

How many people did Joe Biden grant full pardons at the end of 2022?

A

6

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14
Q

How many sentences did Biden commute in April 2022?

A

75

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15
Q

Why did the Republicans refuse to hold hearings on Obama’s nomination to the Supreme Court Merrick Garland?

A

Obama was in the final year of his final term

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16
Q

Who did Biden nominate to the Supreme Court in February 2022?

A

Ketanji Brown Jackson

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17
Q

Who were Trump’s 3 nominations to the Supreme Court?

A
  • Neil Gorsuch
  • Brett Kavanaugh
  • Amy Coney Barrett
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18
Q

PRESIDENCY AND THE CONSTITUTION

A

PRESIDENCY AND THE CONSTITUTION

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19
Q

What are the 3 requirements for someone to be president?

A
  • At least 35 years old
  • US-born citizen
  • Resident of the USA for 14 years
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20
Q

What are the 4 sections in Article II of the Constitution?

A

I - Nature of the Presidency
II - Powers
III - Responsibilities
IV - Impeachment

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21
Q

What is the president in control of?

A

The federal bureaucracy

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22
Q

How many people are employed by the executive branch, including the military?

A

4 million

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23
Q

What are 5 enumerated powers of the President?

A
  • Commander in chief
  • State of the Union address
  • Appointments
  • Pardon
  • Veto legislation
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24
Q

What are 4 implied powers of the president?

A
  • Establish a cabinet
  • Executive agreement
  • Executive orders
  • Executive Privilege
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25
Q

What Amendment limits the president to 2 terms?

A

22nd Amendment

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26
Q

What does the 25th Amendment clarify?

A

Clarifies the line of succession and the procedure for an incapacitated president

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27
Q

FORMAL POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT

A

FORMAL POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT

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28
Q

What are the 3 options a president has when a bill arrives at his desk?

A
  • Sign the bill
  • Veto the bill
  • Take no action
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29
Q

What did Biden sign into law 7 weeks into his presidency?

A

American Rescue Plan Act

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30
Q

What was the American Rescue Plan Act that Biden signed into law?

A

A $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan designed to combat the pandemic and begin repairing the nation’s frayed social safety net

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31
Q

What significant act did Trump sign into law on the 22nd December 2017?

A

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

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32
Q

What significant bill did Biden sign into law in November 2021?

A

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

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33
Q

How much money was in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act?

A

$1.2 trillion

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34
Q

When did Biden sign the Chips and Science Act into law?

A

9th August 2022

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35
Q

How much of the $280 billion in the Chips and Science Act was committed to developing the semi-conductor industry to compete with China?

A

$52 billion

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36
Q

What was the significant piece of legislation Obama signed into law?

A

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 (Obamacare)

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37
Q

What did Joe Biden say about the Inflation Reduction Act he signed into law, which was America’s largest ever commitment to combating climate change?

A

That the new law is ‘not just about today, its about tomorrow’

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38
Q

How much did the Inflation Reduction Act grant in subsidies to green technology in the United States?

A

$369 billion

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39
Q

Who were very worried about the Inflation Reduction Act?

A

The European Union - wanted the US to extend the grants to EU companies

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40
Q

What was Obama’s final veto?

A

The Justice Against the Sponsors of Terrorism Act

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41
Q

What legislation did Trump veto in December 2021 which was overturned by Congress?

A

The National Defense Authorization Act 2021

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42
Q

What did Trump do hours after threatening to veto a $1.3 trillion spending bill?

A

He signed it into law

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43
Q

How many vetoes has Biden used?

A

5

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44
Q

What was Biden’s first veto?

A

He vetoed the repeal of a Labor department rule that permitted retirement investing tied to environment and social goals - bill would have prevented consideration of certain factors when investing retirement savings

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45
Q

What was Biden’s 2nd veto?

A

He vetoed a resolution that would have rescinded his administration’s hallmark water rule - would have de-regulated much of the waterways

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46
Q

What was Biden’s main focus on in his 2022 State of the Union address?

A

The war in Ukraine

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47
Q

How much was Ukraine given in aid in December 2022?

A

$45 billion

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48
Q

What was a success of Obama’s State of the Union Address?

A

The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act - protection of gay rights

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49
Q

What did Trump claim about the economy in his 2020 State of the Union address?

A

‘Our economy is the best it has ever been’

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50
Q

What did Biden say was a threat to US sovereignty in his 2023 State of the Union address?

A

China

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51
Q

What had happened the same week as Biden’s State of the Union address?

A

Chinese spy balloon shot down

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52
Q

What 2 things did Biden call for in his 2023 State of the Union address?

A
  • Cooperation between Democrats and Republicans
  • Insulin to be capped at $35 - said big pharma would still do well
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53
Q

What did Biden urge Congress to ban in his 2023 State of the Union address?

A

Assault weapons

54
Q

What did Biden criticise in his 2023 State of the Union address?

A

Putin’s war in Ukraine

55
Q

What did Biden say the US stood for in his 2023 State of the Union address?

A

The ‘defense of democracy’

56
Q

Why did some Republicans boo Joe Biden in his 2023 State of the Union address?

A

He said some Republicans want to scrap Medicare and Social Security

57
Q

What did Biden say he wanted to cut the debt by in his 2023 State of the Union adderss?

A

Another $2 trillion

58
Q

How many officials does the president have the power to appoint?

A

Around 4000

59
Q

How many appointments need Senate confirmation?

A

1200

60
Q

Who did Joe Biden nominate to the Supreme Court?

A

Ketanji Brown Jackson

61
Q

What was the vote in the Senate on the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson?

A

53-47

62
Q

Who did Trump appoint as the Secretary of State in 2018?

A

Former CIA director Mike Pompeo

63
Q

What did former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refuse to acknowledge?

A

Biden’s election victory - said there would be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration

64
Q

How many recess appointments did Bill Clinton make?

A

139

65
Q

What did Trump threaten to do in April 2020 in regards to recess appointments?

A

He threatened to adjourn Congress so he could make recess appointments in response to the pandemic

66
Q

What 2014 Supreme Court case invalidated 3 of 4 of Obama’s recess appointments in January 2012?

A

‘NLRB v Canning’ - 2014

67
Q

Who did Biden nominate as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in November 2020?

A

Neera Tanden

68
Q

What did Neera Tanden call Mitch McConnell on twitter and what did she compare Ted Cruz to?

A
  • ‘Moscow Mitch’
  • Compared Ted Cruz to a vampire
69
Q

How many tweets did Neera Tanden delete?

A

1000 tweets

70
Q

What Democrat senator opposed the nomination of Neera Tanden, forcing the nomination to be withdrawn on the 2nd March 2021?

A

Joe Manchin

71
Q

What are the 4 main things included in executive power?

A
  • Executive orders
  • Executive memoranda
  • Presidential proclamations
  • Signing statements
72
Q

How many executive orders has Biden signed as of 1st June 2023?

A

115 executive orders

73
Q

How many presidential memoranda has Biden signed as of 20th April 2023?

A

134 presidential memoranda

74
Q

How many presidential proclamations has Biden signed as of 1st June 2023?

A

453 presidential proclamations

75
Q

What was Biden’s first executive order? *13985

A

Direct reversal of Trump’s regulatory approval process

76
Q

How many of Biden’s first 60 executive actions were direct reversals of Trump policies?

A

24

77
Q

What Biden executive order increased the minimum federal wage of federal contractors to $15 per hour?

A

Executive Order No. 14026

78
Q

What Biden executive order implemented the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act?

A

Executive Order 14052

79
Q

What was Trump’s first executive order?

A

Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

80
Q

What was Biden’s first executive memorandum?

A

Preserving DACA - addressed to the Attorney General Secretary of Homeland Security

81
Q

What was Trump’s 3rd executive memorandum, on the 23rd January 2017?

A

Regarding the withdrawal of the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations and Agreement

82
Q

What are executive memoranda?

A

The delegation of tasks that Congress has given to the president to members of his executive branch

83
Q

What is a signing statement?

A

A statement issued by the president regarding a bill that he has just signed into law

84
Q

What did Obama say after signing the National Defense Authorization Act 2011 into law despite having concerns?

A

That they wouldn’t oppose the bill in order to ‘avoid constitutional conflict’

85
Q

What is the most famous presidential proclamation?

A

Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation 1863

86
Q

What is the only thing that a president cannot pardon?

A

Impeachment

87
Q

What is a commutation?

A

The ability of the president to reduce the sentence issued for a crime

88
Q

What did President Ford and President Carter pardon hundreds of thousands of men for?

A

Evading the Vietnam War draft

89
Q

How many pardons did Trump grant?

A

143 pardons

90
Q

How many commutations did Trump grant?

A

94

91
Q

What two deals did Obama negotiate?

A

-Iran Nuclear Deal
- Paris Climate Agreement

92
Q

What is required for a treaty to be ratified?

A

2/3 vote in the Senate

93
Q

Why did the Senate not vote on the Paris Climate Agreement?

A

It was an executive agreement

94
Q

What was the 2020 Doha agreement?

A

Agreement signed between the United States and the Taliban, brought an end to the 2001-2021 war in Afghanistan

95
Q

INFORMAL POWERS OF THE PRESDIENT

A

INFORMAL POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT

96
Q

What is the US cabinet made up of?

A

The heads of the 15 executive departments

97
Q

Who is the Secretary of the Treasury in Joe Biden’s cabinet?

A

Janet Yellen

98
Q

What role did Janet Yellen hold from 2014 to 2018?

A

The Chair of the Federal Reserve

99
Q

Who is the Attorney General in Joe Biden’s cabinet?

A

Merrick Garland - former circuit court judge

100
Q

Who was Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Treasury?

A

Steven Mnuchin

101
Q

What was Steven Mnuchin’s former role?

A

CEO of One West Bank

102
Q

Who was Obama’s Secretary of the Treasury?

A

Tim Geithner - former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

103
Q

How did Tim Geithner respond to the 2008 financial crisis?

A

He introduced the Financial Stability Plan, which committed billions of dollars to a ‘lending initiative’ to try and boost the economy

104
Q

What did Bill Clinton say he wanted his cabinet to look like?

A

America

105
Q

Who was forced to resign as Secretary of Defense in 2015 due to disagreements over Guantanamo Bay?

A

Chuck Hagel

106
Q

What is a quote from Professor Richard Neustadt about a president’s power of persuasion?

A

‘The power of the presidency is the power to persuade’

107
Q

When did Obama appeal directly and morally to Congress?

A

2013 Rose Garden Speech

108
Q

What is a ‘bully pulpit’?

A

A strong and significant platform from which the president can advance his policy

109
Q

What did Biden promise to do if Republicans passed anti-abortion legislation when campaigning in midterms?

A

He would ‘veto it’

110
Q

What did Joe Biden tell the UN General Assembly about the war in Ukraine?

A

That the war was ‘chosen by one man’

111
Q

What did Obama’s deputy chief of staff Messina call senators to do?

A

Ensure they would still vote for Sonia Sotomayor after a difficult quote came to light in her confirmation hearings

112
Q

Who did Obama have telephone and private meetings with in order to advance his legislative agenda?

A

Republican Speaker John Boehner

113
Q

What are 2 constitutional powers of the VP?

A
  • Take over the role of president if necessary
  • Cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie in the Senate
114
Q

What was VP Dick Cheney responsible for creating?

A

‘A new doctrine in which the president was accountable to no one in his decisions as commander in chief’

115
Q

Why did George Bush invite Tony Blair for a meeting in 2002?

A

To help him convince VP Dick Cheney that they should go through the UN before invading Iraq

116
Q

How many tie-breaking votes did Mike Pence cast in his first year in office?

A

6

117
Q

What did Kamala Harris make a speech about on the 22nd January 2023?

A

About the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade, announced a presidential memorandum on protection for abortion access

118
Q

What is a Thomas Marshall quote about the limited role of the Vice President?

A

‘Once there were two brothers. One ran away to sea, the other was elected Vice President, and nothing was ever heard of them again’

119
Q

NATURE OF THE PRESIDENCY

A

NATURE OF THE PRESIDENCY

120
Q

What president won the highest % of the popular vote in the 21st century?

A

Obama in 2008 - 53%

121
Q

What is the coattails effect?

A

The ability of a president to bring out supports for other members of his party due to his own popularity

122
Q

What president was mocked for having a short coattails effect?

A

Donald Trump

123
Q

How was Obama’s coattails effect shown in 2008?

A

The Democrats had a net gain of 8 seats in the Senate and 21 seats in the House

124
Q

How many seats did the Democrats win in the Senate in 2008 and how many did they win in the House?

A
  • 59 in Senate
  • 257 in the House
125
Q

What act was passed as a result of Obama’s huge popularity?

A

PPACA - Obamacare

126
Q

How much did Clinton’s approval rating increase in the first quarter after the Monica Lewinsky scandal?

A

5.6%

127
Q

What were Bush’s approval ratings following 9/11?

A

85%

128
Q

How did Trump describe the response to Hurricane Maria, which killed 3000 people?

A

‘A great success’

129
Q

How many government shutdowns were there under Trump?

A

2

130
Q

What was the longest government shutdown under Trump, the longest in history?

A

35 days

131
Q

What did Joe Biden sign with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the 26th April 2023, which sends nuclear submarines to South Korea to deter North Korea?

A

The Washington Declaration